NoMa Social is more than just a lounge

Posted On December 13, 2013

When I hear of NoMa Social, I immediately associate it with the lounge at the Radisson in New Rochelle. Little did I know this hip spot also has a great restaurant. Headed by Executive Chef Bill Rosenberg, NoMa Social serves Mediterranean inspired dishes in an ultra-chic location.

Accompanied by other members of the press, we kicked off a chilly evening with a round of cocktails. NoMa Social’s cocktail menu has over 20 concoctions to choose from, some with risqué names like “Panties Off,” made with Stoli Raspberry, Sprite, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, melon liqueur, and fresh raspberries, and some with a name that won’t make you blush when ordering, like “The Famous,” made with Grey Goose Citron, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, sour mix, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. For those counting their calories, they’ve got a list of 4 cocktails around 150 calories. (These cocktails are shown above Left: “The Famous”; Right: “Panties Off”)

On our tasting menu were Chef Rosenberg’s latest creations made with seasonal, local ingredients. I loved the Local Butternut Squash Soup, made with fresh cranberry and crushed ginger snaps. It was rich and creamy, and also comforting.

Butternut Squash Soup

The Blue Crab Stuffed Piquillo Pepper with Lemon-Pepper Aioli, Baby Greens was good, though the crab mix could use less mayonnaise.

Blue Crab Stuffed Piquillo Pepper

The Crispy Baby Artichoke was my favorite tapa. The artichoke was perfectly seasoned and fried and placed on top of a dollop of basil mayo. I could easily eat a few of these.

Crispy Baby Artichoke

The Sobrasada Tosta reminded me of a past trip to Mallorca Spain. The spicy sausage tasted great when combined with the aioli and quail egg. (Yup we got a little yolk porn going).

Sobrasada Tosta

After eating all those tapas, it was hard to enjoy the main course – Fresh Potato Gnocchi with Long Braised Painted Hills Beef Cheeks. This hearty dish had a lot of flavor profiles: earthiness from the wild mushrooms, sweetness from the Coca-Cola Guazzetto, and a mild saltiness from the fresh ricotta. The beef was tender and melted in the mouth. Overall, a great dish.

Potato Gnocchi

To end the meal, we enjoyed the Banana-Nutella Empanada with Cinnamon Ice Cream, Caramel Chocolate Drizzle. When you’ve got Nutella in the mix, you can’t go wrong. The shell of the empanada was crispy and the inside was oozing with warm banana and Nutella. Though we were full from the previous courses, we managed to devour the dessert and wash it down with a Cappucinno Shot.

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Denise de Castro

I'm a Native New Yorker who now lives in Connecticut. I love food – cooking, eating, taking photos of food, attending cooking demos – all things food, and don’t forget about drinking wine. It could be anywhere – in my hometown, to abroad, anything food and drink goes here.